Merriment for Me!

A couple of very intuitive ladies knew exactly what I'd want for my present: to go shopping in Anthropologie...and actually buy something! I often walk through the store just touching everything, but I'd never even tried anything on. And I'd never actually contemplated buying something. Who pays $98 for a tank top? Not a mother of three small kids. BUT, there is a time for everything. ;) And, it was time, my friends. It was time.

I prowled slowly, carefully, gleefully. I actually took garments off the racks! With an arm load of beauty, I entered the dressing room for the first time. Oh what a beautiful place! No, seriously, if you're ever in the mall and stressed out, just find an Anthropologie, grab a shirt, and head for the fitting room. Serenity. I tried everything on. And everything, oooh...like butta'! Like smooth, creamy butter! Good clothes--you know: really, really good clothes just feel and fit so well. It could drive a woman insane.

Naturally I wanted everything I tried on. But after a while I had to bring my head down out of the clouds and be somewhat reasonable. Only somewhat, though. So, I painfully and reluctantly ruled out this and that and decided on my favorites. I liken it to having to pick a favorite child. Who could do that? Well, despite the pain of choosing ;) I had a wonderful time shopping, and I am ecstatic about what I got!!

So, Stac, Vall: thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! And here's the loot:


I got this top in a solid, deep purple. Gorgeous! The picture doesn't do it justice; you can't see the best details, but it's wonderful. :)


I got this jersey wrap in a dark grey, and it feels sooooo good! I wish I could wear it everyday.

Also, I finally got myself a french butter dish. This baby allows you to keep your butter soft, at room temp without it getting spoiled. How cool is that?!

Falling Apart...Or Bursting At the Seams?

Not exactly sure whether I should be completely honest and say, "I'm so stinking exhausted and frustrated and angry that I just want to spit and crawl into a hole!" Or perhaps I should be a little more grateful and say, "We're just blessed with such full lives!"

Well, the first statement would suit this morning's mood much more accurately. Actually, the mood of the whole week! December is always a busy month; the mess grows and the to do list only gets longer. There are so many things I want to do so that we all enjoy this season in every possible way. And this is not me saying I know I need to cut out the unnecessary things. The kids and I got a cold this week, so it's just been a crazy week, and I'm feeling it down to the bone.

But.....We have this to look forward to:

Four days, three nights, right after Christmas!! I planned our vaca last January--after a December just like this one. December is wonderful, we love traditions and cookies and decorations and advent and presents and the whole Hoop La! But, we will welcome a break and four whole days to be alone!! I can hardly imagine what it will be like to have uninterrupted conversation with B.daddy for that long.

The Family That Eats Together Stays Together!

Our little family has been busy, busy, busy as usual. Yet, I feel like I have nothing remarkable to report as of this very moment. We're all just working hard and keepin' the love alive. And when we're not doing that we're EATING!! Tis the season, right?

Thanksgiving was a success. Amanda made half the food, and everything was so stinking delicious! Plus, it was a surprisingly relaxing day for all of us. Thankful indeed!

Here Gizmo is helping me brush the turkey with oil. He had some very interesting remarks about our edible dinner guest. At first he was commenting on how cute the "little guy" was; then he was distraught by the fact that the "little guy's" head had to be cut off in order for us to eat him; and not two seconds later he was excitedly proclaiming the fact that he was going to "EAT HIM!! Yum, yum, yum!"

Showing off the goods:

And despite her princess nature, Li'l Bit insisted she eat the "chicken leg." (By the end of the day I found it was impossible to say turkey--I kept calling it chicken too.) She gnawed on this thing a few times, but hardly put a dent in it.

The rest ended up in Sunday night's Turkey Salad, which I must say: Turkey Salad is SO the way to go with leftovers! I was eating it out of the container as if it were chocolate ice cream. (No, I'm not pregnant. I'm just a closet food fiend.)

Away In A Manger

Li'l Bit's Black Baby Jesus

and her Amazing Technicolor Santa

Sanctifying Discipleship

Luke 9:45-46 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it...”

Phil 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

In a discussion on “dying to live” (see post on 11/11) this question arises: “So, how long is it going to be this way?”

How long is it going to be: hard, suffering, painful, etc.? I think the answer has a few different layers. According to Luke and Philippians, it will be daily and it will be forever. The root of the the pain of living this way is our struggle with obedience.

The Father has given us they way to live in relationships all throughout Scripture. We are to glorify Jesus by our love for one another (our Christian family). However, inside, it is very hard to look past people’s selfishness, rudeness, manipulation, recklessness, _________ (fill in whatever sin in others’ pushes your buttons here).

Love Hurts.....ooooo ooo ooooooo love hurts. How will we respond when we try to love and we get hurt. Will we be patient, kind, bear with them, endure, or will we be rude, arrogant, resentful, or just plain ole mean? I must confess, I can get mad, even angry when I feel wronged. The question ensues, will I be obedient in my response to that anger. Jesus had righteous responses when he was angry. I should do the same. Oftentimes my anger comes out as meanness.

I find that when I do not display the qualities of love, it’s usually because I have a plank in my eye that must be removed before I can start removing the speck from whomever has wronged me. This self analyzing is very difficult, but usually results in me finding the depth of my selfishness, which then allows me to righteously respond in love. I tend to find this sin by asking myself "Why am I so angry? What emotion is this stirring up in me? Why am I reacting this way? How should I be acting? Why am I not acting this way?" I let the questions linger, until I am able to discern my heart. This helps me to repent and recognize these sames feelings in the future. I gradually learn how to respond in righteousness.

Though most of us begin discovering this pain when committing to a love relationship during the boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife stage, scripture indicates that we are to always respond this way in love. The cool thing is that as we grow in love, we will learn to have joy as we see ourselves and others grow in spiritual maturity.

Though sacrificial love is a daily and lifelong process, there is joy that follows as we mature. I believe that this also creates the foundation for natural discipleship relationships. Because it becomes less about what we “do” to disciple people, and more about how we love those we are discipling. It teaches us how to examine our own heart, thus leading the way for us to learn how to gently rebuke, encourage, and how to teach them to examine their hearts and respond in obedient love as well.

Happy Birthday, Momtopia!!

I have no pictures, and I am ashamed.

I visited Momtopia tonight to wish her a Happy 1st Birthday. I drove into the mall parking lot on Monday and saw on their billboard, "Come celebrate the Kids' Play Area's First Birthday, Nov. 20 3-5 pm." I could NOT believe it! They actually know how much I love this place?! They actually anticipated that I'd want to sing Happy Birthday to a...space?! (And I did, by the way, sing.)

Yes! The mall had a birthday party for their kids' play area. I'm tellin' ya'-I'm no idiot for loving this place so much. It really is an immense relief to have a free, indoor, no-strings-attached play area--in the dead of winter you will find me there, with my three children, once every week. Like clockwork. And like a true evangelist, I forced Courtney to bring her babe, Amelia, so they, too, could fall in love with the space. I think they did. :) The party was loud! Disney Radio was there, as well as a Chick Fil A cow and a Rainforest Cafe frog. Cake, games, raffles, dancing! OMG, I was overstimulated. At 6:15 we pulled into my driveway with four very tired children ready for bed and two moms who could not agree more.

Now that I've hussled mine off to bed without takin' any lip I am ready to crash!

Brent Here, Am I allowed to do this?`

Sharing Sharla's blog to think through discipleship. Hope her readers don't mind.

Ephesians 5:25

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,...

The most recent and deep things of discipleship that I have learned the past few years have come as a result of learning to love my wife in this manner. I have to consciously sit and think of Jesus' brutal death for the sake of his bride. The joy that he has in us, that he would allow himself to take the form of a man and suffer...ultimate humility.

When Sharla and I are struggling through a conversation, this comes to mind. Whether my case is strong or whether I am the one acting out of line, this truth comes to mind. It causes me to act the same way. I must become humble in rightness, and wrongness. I must not cause my wife to stumble. I must apologize. I must not lord over her when she is incorrect.

This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Think about Jesus giving himself up for his bride and then attempting to live that in everyday situations...taking up my cross daily.

This has taught love to me. This has taught me compassion. This has taught me to rebuke gently. This has taught me self-control, which appears to be the stepping stone to a deeper prayer life. (now, if I could just get that clear minded part down) This has caused Sharla to respond with love and respect. This is the anthem I preach to the men who are dating and considering marrying their brides. Death, glorious death...brings life and love.

This ability to have more control over myself, and to see the sacrifice necessary for my commitment to a love relationship has changed how I view my entire life. It carries over into my ability to interact with others on every level. I now look at my colleagues differently. But most importantly, I see the bride of Christ differently. I am learning more the challenges of living out love the way 1 Corinthians 13 explains. It's extremely hard, but it's wonderful. Since our church meets in our home, my wife gets to see me sacrifice for those that are hard to love in our community. She hears me, and takes part in our discipleship of young couples. She, is being discipled as I disciple others. She teaches me how to love and takes part in how we transfer that to others. We, in a sense, are learning how to disciple through our family. If I sacrifice, she feels it. If she sacrifices, I feel it. Love weighs on both of us.

It takes a long time. It's very hard. I understand the love of the Father, and my extreme need for him to live through me. I am at the very beginning stages of understanding/learning this and passing it on is even more difficult. I pray that the outcome is a fruitful family of obedient followers of Jesus, who die to love more!

Give Me Bacon Or Give Me Death

this girl is such a nut!

proudly showing me her clever fishy face

So, we had a great time at the MFA Thursday night. Li'l Bit was SO excited and ridiculously wired--and chatty! About halfway there I actually thought, I don't have the stamina to keep up with this conversation. She loved riding the T with me and all the adventures one encounters in switching trains. We got to the museum and went straight to the European Art Gallery. She was running from painting to painting exclaiming, "Mommy, look at this!" About thirty minutes into our visit she totally pooped out. All the adrenaline drained from her veins and she was done. All of a sudden it was, "Mommy, let's get out of here." :) I finally found my favorite room--Van Gogh, Degas, Monet--and she was so ready to get home. But, I made her wait while I gazed at each painting for about ten seconds each. Ah, blessed luxuries!

Speaking of luxuries...
Here's a recipe I've put together that my husband is In Love With! One evening I rummaged through our bare cabinets and found a rare assortment of ingredients. When I put it all together we had one amazing dish on our hands. Now hear this, I love to make things cheap and from scratch, but this is not one of those things! It's easy and indulgent, so prepare yourselves.

Shrimp & Bacon Alfredo

~14 oz bag of frozen, small shrimp
~4-8 T. unsalted butter (that's right, a whole stick)
~1-2 T. minced garlic
~4.5 oz bag of real bacon pieces
~1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
~13 oz box of whole grain rotini
~2 jars Alfredo sauce (you can also make 1 jar work)

1) Thaw the shrimp and pat dry. Heat butter to sizzle & throw in garlic and shrimp. Saute to your heart's delight. Pour in the alfredo sauce and heat through thoroughly.
2) Prepare pasta according to pkg. directions and drain.
3) Pour pasta into 9X13 inch baking dish. Pour shrimp alfredo sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle w/ as much mozzarella as you want. Sprinkle that with as much of the bacon as you want.
4) Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Great dish to prepare ahead of time as well.
5) Devour it w/ focaccia bread on the side. :)

Art and Fashion--All in One Day

Big date tonight! Li'l Bit and I are going to the Museum of Fine Arts. We've been planning it for a week, and she can't wait! Every evening she's marked off the day on her calendar and counted the days until our night at the museum. I, too, cannot wait to wander the halls full of the world's finest art with my one and only Li'l Bit! One of the greatest components of my homeschooling agenda is the benefit we derive from living in a city drenched with history, art, music, science, culture, etc. I love my city. (And we have Sonic, too.)

Li'l Bit also knows exactly what she's going to wear tonight. When I came home Tuesday night with new boots a light bulb went off in her head. "You can wear your brown boots-because they're the most beautiful-and I'll wear my pink boots and we'll wear dresses together!" That's my girl. I'm working on convincing her to let me wear the black boots, because they're more comfortable. ;) As soon as she got out of bed this morning she starting piecing together her outfit for tonight. A long-sleeve green tee w/ a pink tee over it, a pink tulle skirt w/ brown tights, and her pink rain boots. She's all set!

Ruthless

The ol' Ball and Chain told me to leave.
He kicked me out of the house for three nights. He thought I might need some "time to myself" and a little bit of "rest and relaxation." Well, whatever. I went. ;)
Last Friday, B.daddy got home and I hopped in the Honda and left! (And I left him with three hungry kids and no electricity.*) I drove to the Cape, where I had booked an amazingly affordable and luxurious hotel room. Then, to my delightful surprise they actually upgraded me to one of their loft suites! I had two full baths-one with a huge two person jacuzzi-, a king size bed, two floors, two t.v.'s, a patio--okay, I'll stop. Funny thing is, after I discovered my bounty I felt compelled to call B.daddy and have him and the kids come down. It just didn't feel right for me to have so much space all to myself when it would be the perfect space for all five of us. I got over that rather quickly.
My full intent was to do absolutely nothing but read, sleep, eat, and possibly shop for a new pair of jeans allll by myself. Check, check, check, and check!
Glorious silence ringing in my ears. Freedom to read all day, watch t.v. all night, and sleep all morning. One should not take a personal vacation of this nature often for it would surely make that person impossible to live with on account of her being a totally selfish, lazy fool. However, in moderation and with the right heart, this is was an ideal retreat for my weary mind and soul. My body didn't mind it too much either. I took a total of five soaks in that wonderful jacuzzi. And I'm turning into such a clean freak. I cleaned the tub six times.
I returned to the fold this beautiful Monday at noon, and relieved Stac of the care of my children. I've been cleaning and nesting and snuggling all afternoon. It is good to be back; and it is good to be here so fresh and relaxed. Patience is a virtue that for the weaker of the fold only seems to come about after indulgence in luxuries.
If I get time and remember to do so, I will post my reading list for the weekend. Five rather worthwhile books, I must say. Right now they are still packed in my suitcase and I'm not about to get off this couch to retrieve them just so I can get the authors' names right. My sweet Li'l Bit is laying beside me reading as I type, and I am rested enough to know you don't bring moments like this to a premature ending.
And Li'l Bit just informed me that she thinks I have said enough!

*There was some sort of underground explosion in our neighborhood and our house was without power for almost 24 hours. It came back on at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morn. All is well.

Dream Big Little Girl

When I got married I learned to cook. When I learned to cook I learned how to save money at the grocery store. When I learned to save money at the grocery store I started telling myself: when we're older and richer (forget wiser) I'm going to only buy the highest quality groceries. I'll shop only at Whole Foods and our food will always be delicious.
Well now that I've learned everything is delicious when you make it from scratch & love-no matter the brand-I've graduated up to a grander dream.
When I'm older and richer I'm going to stock my wardrobe w/ garments only from Anthropologie. It is impossible to imagine a store more perfectly catered to my fine lady/girly fancies of fashion. Every time I walk through the store-buying nothing-I drool and dream and sigh to myself. I liken it to walking through the Garderner Museum. Though, perhaps not as magnificent. But close.
So yes, I'm not much older, and none the wiser. Walmart is still my source for all things cheap and delicious, and my highest hope can apparently be fulfilled by a very expensive trip to the mall.

In other news:
~It snowed this morning; we are enjoying a very chilly October, and Li'l Bit is wondering where her Christmas presents are. Snow=Christmas.
~The kids are in Lock Down (alone time) right now. The smallest one has gone to sleep and the two bigger ones are starting to seep into the living room where I am presently typing and drinking hot coffee.
~My blessed husband will hear his praises sung all weekend from family and friends far and wide. Why? Well, I'm paranoid and superstitious, so I won't post about it until it's all said and done. Let's just say: you'll be jealous. All of you, three Readers, no matter your station in life, you will hate me with hot, green jealousy in your hearts. It's that good.

On Fire

I started my first oven fire last night! (It wasn't quite as dramatic as the picture above, but it could have been.) :) I was broiling Bacon Cheeseburgers for my dear husband and children. It was my first time to use the broiler, and I was following the recipe, thank you very much! It said "place burgers 3 to 4 inches from the broiler for 10-12 minutes." So I did. By minute 7 there was trouble. Smoke started billowing out and the alarms started going off. I opened the oven and saw that, Ah, they're on fire. Sweet Gizmo was standing in the corner with his hands over his ears crying, "Turn it off! Turn it off!" I took him into the living room and B.daddy started looking for the fire extinguisher. By the time we'd read the directions on the extinguisher and opened the oven back up the fire had gone out. So the burgers were saved and beautifully flame broiled. They were delicious!

This reminds me of some of my first kitchen mishaps:

Once I added cup after cup of flour to some very soupy mashed potatoes. I was just trying to thicken them up a bit, and though my husband of three months was telling me they would taste bad, I persisted. "They'll taste like flour," he cautioned. "Flour doesn't have a taste!" I retorted. (I'm a very proud, know-it-all sort of person.) Finally the potatoes were nice and thick, and they tasted horrible--disgusting. They tasted like flour.

The first time I ever tried to make fried chicken: I poured the oil in the pan and turned the heat up to medium...then medium high...then high. Why wouldn't the oil come to a boil?! In a moment of God's good mercy I called my mom before putting anything in the oil. I asked her how long it takes to bring oil to a boil, and in her most serious, nurse voice she said, "Do not put anything in the oil! Turn the burner off and leave the kitchen now!" She explained to me that oil doesn't boil--it catches on fire.

The next time I tried to make fried chicken: This was much later--we'd moved to Boston before I got up the nerve to try again. I brined the chicken in buttermilk and salt and followed the recipe to the "t." Which means, I fried the pieces exactly as long as the recipe said to...without cutting into them to check for doneness. What a beautiful meal set out on the table when my young husband came home from the office! We piled mashed potatoes (flourless), cream style corn, and fried chicken onto our plates. Then I took a huge bite out of my chicken leg. It tasted a little funny. The texture was a little off. B.daddy, being the King of Raw Chicken Phobia, cut his up and saw some very pink meat...and blood. By this time I had completely chewed and swallowed a mouthful of raw chicken. Defeated and disgusted I took the chicken back to the pan to finish frying them. When it was all said and done, we just couldn't bring ourselves to eat any of it. And I don't believe I have tried to make fried chicken ever since.

What's For Dinner

I already have half of B.daddy's homecoming feast prepared. One of his favorite dishes is complete and in the fridge. The cheesecake is in the oven and almost done. And I'm sure I'll be making bread all morning long. He gets home tomorrow at 3 pm, and I can't stop my mind from jumping from task to task. It's not that the house needs to be in ship shape w/ dinner on the table as soon as he walks in. It's just that I'm not sure I can focus on anything that doesn't have to do with him getting home!
Yes, I'm tired. I've rarely felt such physical fatigue as what I've been feeling the last few days. (I was good till day 8. Day 9-and-on kicks my tail.)
Single moms: I salute you. It's not so much that it's tiring--it's lonely. More than the tiredness, more than the inescapable responsibility of parenting...I've just wanted someone to talk to! And not just anyone. I've been talking-more than usual-to all my nearest and dearest throughout the last week. But I want to talk to my husband. That's what I miss, and that's what I can't imagine doing without. I can't imagine going through one of the most--if not the most--demanding and complicated phases of human life without that one person who loves you more than anyone else and will listen to anything and everything and try to respond with gentleness and understanding. I know people do it all the time. There are moms and dads in every culture who have to hold their own--whether they're married or not. I'm just saying I am Dang Thankful for my husband; and I take neither him for granted nor the stamina people like my sister have to keep up just to get through every day and every night.

Some fun photos of the Daddy In Action:

halloween three years ago

his 33rd birthday party. i think ladybug might have actually been conceived on this night. sorry. too much info.

li'l bit and i spent a day in harvard square putting together his birthday present. (lots of fun things to do all by himself.) she was very excited for him to open his guide.

always so fun when they get to make things with him. in this he is infinitely more patient that i. i can hardly stand to let them "help me" with a cake mix, let alone build shelves!

Weekends Suck; Mondays Rule

Without the affectionate, helpful hands of my husband, weekends are no different than any other day. So, in that sense, they suck big time. I was actually relieved yesterday to know it was Monday--being alone with the kids made more sense. But it's a little hard to make sense of anything right now simply because my brain is fried. I'm actually doing quite well for day six (yes, of course, I'm counting Thursday) with no Babydaddy. There's nothing to worry about, Mom. :) I'm just ready to warm up my ginger-scented rice pillow and smother my aching head with it.

this is kind of what my brain feels like. there's a lot going on, and you can allllmost make out what it is. but in the end you have no idea.

Farewell, Summer

Harvest Home
by Arthur Guiterman

The maples flare among the spruces,
The bursting foxgrape spills its juices,
The gentians lift their sapphire fringes
On roadways rich with golden tinges,
The waddling woodchucks fill their hampers,
The deer mouse runs, the chipmunk scampers,
The squirrels scurry, never stopping,
For all they hear is apples dropping
And walnuts plumping fast and faster;
The bee weighs down the purple aster--
Yes, hive your honey, little hummer,
The woods are waving, "Farewell, Summer."

I Just Feel Like...

Why is it that one week I feel like I can conquer the world, and the next week I feel like the world has landed on top of me?

Don't they make a pill to keep that over achiever going? If so, I'd like a few.

~~~

And Later That Day...

Call me melodramatic, but follow me here:

The whole ruby slippers thing is metaphorical for how I always feel like the evil within me is what brings this house down. Moms feel guilty for everything, so if I'm having a hard time I feel like it's my own fault. If the lessons aren't done, if the biscuits burn, if the kids are screaming--it's always my fault.

So after the above post I was sitting at the dining room table with Gizmo. I was doodling in my lesson planner while he was doodling on the white-board slate. He was quietly talking gibberish to himself and all of the sudden I heard these words come out of his mouth:
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

For Thou art with me.

Indeed, He is.

Hold Me Back

Girl, I'm afraid I didn't do a very good job of holding back today. My self-control slipped away--or perhaps I should be honest and say, I threw that dad~gum self-control in the trash!

I took the kids to the mall for lunch and play time. (Yes, it is actually getting chilly enough for that. Yikes.) So we were having a great time; it was wonderful to get out of the house for a bit. They ate a hearty Chick-fil-A meal and we headed to the play area (Momtopia, remember?)

Ladybug was SO excited! The girl loves to climb and run and giggle. She was the most precious thing ever, just running around and running back to snuggle with my leg and then running around again. Obviously, she can hold her own, so I was just watching from a safe distance. She had climbed up and gone down the slide several times, even though bigger kids would sometimes sneak by her or breathe down her neck. It was no problem for her. No stress. She was fine. Then, a little later on she returned to the slide and a boy of about five or six went by her and slid down before her. I didn't think too much of it, though I was watching her like a hawk. He looked a little aggressive. And then all of a sudden he turns around and pushes her off the top of the slide. She flies down on her back and I was in flight as well. She was SO upset. The girl is tough, and she was just bawling her eyes out. I swooped her up and stared at the kid and said, "No you did NOT," in my most acidic tone. Catching his mom's eye in the back ground I turned my focus to comforting the injured party, but I was so angry I was shaking for a very long time.

In the end I got control of myself. The kid's dad made him come apologize and I was able to say It's Okay and Thank you for apologizing. But I could tell I had scared him.
Also in the end, Ladybug was fine. I think it scared her and hurt her feelings just as much if not more than it hurt her body. Really, she's a tough girl. But it's the whole falling backwards at the hands of another person. The most suspenseful parts of movies are created from such things.

And just to tug at your heartstrings a little more, here's our sweet girl~ ;)

Kindergarten, Eat Your Heart Out!!

I have been spending the last three years reading and researching this crazy idea of taking on the responsibility of teaching our own children at home. Who In Their Right Mind would do this? When we can send our kiddos to fun classrooms with good teachers--and then have time to go to the gym and have lunch with grown ups...or perhaps get a job or go back to school. Who would give that up? Only people who are in love behave this way.

Well, Li'l Bit: I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of?

So, in my excitement for the commencement of Li'l Bit's official Kindergarten year, here is a glance at the curriculum I've put together for her:

I like the idea of our kids hearing Scripture, not just Bible stories (though we do have some wonderful Bible storybooks.) We've been walking through TOPGTTReading since she was three. It's been a slow walk because I'm learning how to be consistent, but she's getting ahead of me with her sight reading. So now I really have to get on the ball in teaching her phonics!

I love this book! I wish I could find more like it. It has beautiful artwork to accompany the 23rd Psalm--word for word, actual scripture! We've read it so much that even Gizmo (who is feeling A-OKay, by the way!) can recite it with me!

They both love the Math U See blocks. :) We're getting acquainted with the video and lesson structure, and this week we're making our own Decimal Street so Li'l Bit can master place value. So far I really like this curriculum, and everyone I know who uses it likes it.

Handwriting is simpler and harder than I thought. I use the workbook as a guide, but it takes consistency, practise, and constant supervision to help her learn. Muscle memory. To do these lessons I'm going to have to master the art of occupying the younger two, so I can focus on Li'l Bit.


Synopsis: the books have a little bio about each composer. The cd has the composer's music: a 30-60 second excerpt from their famous pieces. That piece is followed by the same music paired with cute lyrics to help the kid (and, umm, the parent) remember who composed what. The one thing I don't like about it is how synthesized the lyric-less bits of music are--only because when I expose my kids to fine art and music I want it to be in its most beautiful form. Also, I plan to focus a week+ at a time learning about the life of one composer and always having his music playing throughout the house. We did one week with Chopin and I found a wealth of good storybooks about him at our library. In the end Li'l Bit has always loved to listen to the Classical Karaoke cd. And when I have the real thing playing sometimes she will actually say, "Hey, that's Pachelbel!"

These books have wonderful pictures and bios. Every so often the kids will pull one off the shelf, sit on the floor, and just gaze at kids from around the world. Ann Voskamp also has some very popular geography/world studies books I want to get my hands on. (her blog is amazing: http://www.aholyexperience.com/)

I stumbled onto this book in our local book store and love it. The subject matter is very intriguing--by telling the history of the White House, it tells the story of our country. (Which, our kids are going to need to know to help them weather the storm of politics and understanding our government.) It's cut up into digestible pieces, and the artwork is gorgeous.

I love this book! The experiments are SO doable and SO many of them are right on Li'l Bit and Gizmo's level without being hokey or crafty. I chuckled to myself when I got it because I thought, "No good, baptist girl would ever buy curriculum with the word wizardry in the title!"


And last but most certainly not least: Literature!! Just makes you want to breathe deep and snuggle into the couch doesn't it! This is and will always be our strongest subject. We all love to read, and as mama of the house I just have to make sure that they have only the best to consume. These are just a few of our favs, but there are dozens and dozens I could list. And the most surprising books have amazing morals in them! Like The Magical Ballet Slippers by Nick Ellsworth--all about self control.

So, anyway, that's our little world right now. And this little world is embarking on a very cranky breakfast time, so here goes...